DNR enters the social media world, and hundreds already like us

21 Pages·2011·0.22 MB·English

2. New Southeast director
1. DNR enters the social media
Nitschke excited about working
world, and hundreds already like
with region’s staff
us
3. DNR educators take their act on 4. Department PCs enter queue to
the road to Rhinelander migrate to Windows 7/Office 2010
5. Northern Region’s Ellen 6. Biersach named new director of
Granquist passed away last week Bureau of Watershed Management
7. DNR receives annual state 8. Keeping up on new invasive
Diversity Award species information
9. Governor signed DNR-related 10. Health insurance enrollment
bills as regular session ended and ERA program change under
new law
11. Partners in Giving update: 12. DNR wardens continue to
nearly $41,000 in donations, so far strengthen bond and
understanding with Hmong
13. Links of interest…don’t miss 14. Around the state…DNR
them employees shine
15. America’s Great Outdoors
projects include two proposed for
Wisconsin
Secretary's Corner | Weekly News | News Releases | Outdoor Report

DNR enters the social media world, and hundreds already like us
By: Laurel Steffes, Office of Communication
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It’s been a great week since DNR launched its Facebook page!
Following quickly on the posting of our Facebook website, the department now also
has a presence on Twitter and YouTube. You can access all from DNR’s Internet
homepage. We’re also in the process of adding a “splash” page to our website that
will pop up when people log in for the first time each day.
Our first YouTube video features Secretary message Cathy Stepp’s on the opening
of deer season.

Look for these logos to connect to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from DNR's
homepage.
On November 15, the department announced its new Facebook page to the public in
a news release “DNR prepares for deer hunt with launch of Facebook, Twitter and
website changes.”
More than 1,600 people “like” our Facebook site, and it’s receiving a lot of chatter on
Facebook in general.
Sec. Stepp’s YouTube message is an example of how DNR’s featured videos will be
seasonal in nature. With the establishment of our YouTube channel, we’ll share the
many videos DNR programs have produced. We already have much content “in the
can” that we can use on the page for the next several months. Videos will be on
general interest subjects, like marking salmon fry, that fit time length parameters.
DNR’s Facebook mission will be to attract conversations
The mission of DNR’s Facebook page is to host a conversation about enjoying
Wisconsin’s outdoor recreation. Right now, with the 9-day deer season starting
Saturday, November 19, we’re inviting friends to share pictures and stories about
hunting, late fall fishing and other outdoor fall fun.
The page is administrated by Trish Ossmann, public affairs manager (RPAM) in the
Northeast Region; Ed Culhane, RPAM in the WCR; Paul Holtan, DNR News editor; and
Bill Cosh, DNR spokesperson. These four people will post status updates, articles and
links to the page, as well as respond to customer comments under the DNR Facebook
account. Staff is encouraged to submit ideas for page posts to a special email account
[email protected] checked by these administrators.
DNR’s call center will check in on the page periodically between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.
seven days a week to identify page management needs and ensure observance of
DNR’s house rules, using a model adopted by the Montana DNR.
There’s guidance for DNR employees viewing Facebook
There have been several questions in the past week about the policy regarding
looking at the DNR Facebook page during work time. Staff will be allowed to look at
the DNR page during work hours, but not their personal pages. Before looking at the
DNR page, you need to be logged out of your personal account. Once logged out, you
can go to 'www.facebook.com/WIDNR' to see DNR’s page.
Staff is asked not to comment or post on the Facebook page in a professional
capacity. If you want to share a picture on the department’s wall from your personal
Facebook page off hours, that’s GREAT, but DNR posts must come from the four
administrators. This will ensure the communication on the page is consistent and
customers aren’t receiving multiple responses.
More social media to come to DNR
Many of you have asked about receiving training on how and when to use various
social media tools. The Office of Communication (OC) is working on that and will keep
you posted about upcoming sessions.
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are DNR’s first social media sites. There’s more
coming.
We plan to post an official agency Flickr site, soon. DNR will use Flickr to make photos
and images available internally and externally. About 3,000 images from DNR’s photo
files already have been scanned, meta-tagged and are ready to post. In the coming
weeks, the OC will reach out to other programs, such as Forestry, Parks, Endangered
Resources and Wildlife that have scanned image files to move their images into Flickr.
Flickr links soon will be on DNR’s website in the Newsroom, on MyDNR and on
Facebook.
This an exciting time! Social media will help us find new ways to connect with the
people of the state and to make our customer service even better. We welcome your
feedback.
Update your email signature block to include Facebook link
All employees should take a look at and update their signature blocks with the
current DNR website address and a Facebook link. Here’s how to do it.
To edit your signature in Microsoft Outlook:
1) From the MS Outlook Tools menu, choose Options...
2) From the Mail Format tab, click on the Signatures... button
3) To edit your current signature, click once on the name of the signature and click
the Edit… button.
4) In the Signature Text edit box, make your changes
5) Verify that you’ve included the official DNR web address dnr.wi.gov (all lower
case). Verify that you’re using the official email domain name @wisconsin.gov.
6) Add a line at the bottom that reads: Find us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/WIDNR.
For more information and an example, see “IT Works Email Signature Example.”
Get answers to questions about DNR’s move into social media
The Department Leadership Team and the OC have received questions about DNR’s
move to social media. Read “Social media Q & A” to get answers to questions you
may have. The OC will update this document on a regular basis.
Footnote: Laurel Steffes is director of the Office of Communication.

New Southeast director Nitschke excited about working with region’s
staff
By: Marcus Smith, Southeast Region
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“Can we check your ID?” That was the first question that greeted newly-appointed
Southeast Region (SER) director Eric Nitschke during his meet-and-greet with his
new colleagues on Thursday, October 13, at regional headquarters in Milwaukee.
With Secretary Cathy Stepp and executive assistant "Gundy" Gunderson looking
on, the 35-year-old father of two was subjected to some good-natured teasing about
his youthful appearance.

Southeast Region environmental analysis team leader Mike Thompson (right) chatted
with new director Eric Nitschke during a get-together with regional staff. WDNR Photo
“I know he looks like he’s 12,” said Sec. Stepp, “but it was important to bring in
someone who has some experience other than DNR. Most notably, with local
government.”
“We want to communicate with people in this part of the state that Eric is someone
who not only can have empathy about some of the challenges they were facing, or
the perceptions that they are struggling with about our agency, and that can actually
have some sympathy with that.”
The secretary expressed the belief that Nitschke has “some good ideas on how we
can change some of the communication patterns and up our game when it comes to
engaging different levels of government in what we do here at DNR.”
Nitschke has a civil engineering degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
and began his career with the consulting firm HNTB, before stints in the public sector
with the City of New Berlin and most recently as city engineer and Department of
Public Works director for the Village of Sussex.
“I’m very excited to be working with you,” Nitschke told the gathering. “I’ve taken a
great interest in what you do, and I have some thoughts and feelings on what we can
accomplish together, and I’m very open and curious to learn more of your thoughts
and feelings.”
After answering more questions and brief individual chats with several staff members,
Nitschke sat down to discuss the steps that lead him to his new position.
“I’ve always had a passion for the environment. I’ve known I wanted to be an
engineer and work in some sort of natural resources capacity since the fifth grade,”
he said. “I’ve been very impressed with the staff here in my workings with the DNR.
The other reason why I was very interested in this position is because I love a
challenge.”
Nitschke was asked to identify his priorities as regional director.
“It’s a group of top priorities: Get out and be the face of the DNR for the region; and
get in front of as many people as possible, as many groups as possible, and find out
their concerns and bring that information back to our staff; and be able to be
proactive in assisting businesses that have startups and expansions, as well as other
types of permitting issues.”
Nitschke said he believes in the importance of feedback from staff and using that
feedback “to assist in coordination of working on projects with local communities,
developers and interest groups.”
The agency has been criticized by some sectors for being inconsistent or for failing to
clarify what is required from a permit applicant on the front end. As someone with
private sector and local government experience, Nitschke offered his views on the
subject.
“That’s something that’s a legitimate criticism that I’ve heard and I’ve experienced.
To DNR staff’s credit, even in the experience I had, they rectified the situation and
they dealt with it,” he said. “That impressed me. Not only were staff at DNR willing to
admit mistakes, but own up to them and make them whole. I think that’s the
measure of an individual and that’s the measure of a department.”
Nitschke is mindful of the fact that the agency must continue to build on its record of
success in helping grow the state’s economy. Creating jobs “is not something I can do
alone,” he said. “The staff here is doing that by daily, making the contact with
whatever agency or organization they are working with,” said the new regional
director. "It’s how they follow up and follow through with those organizations that’s
going to change impressions one project at a time.”
Nitschke understands that job growth and protecting our natural resources and
enhancing our environment are mutually supportive, and he intends to “get out and
let people know we are listening to you and we are going to do something about it,
but also listening to our staff to hear their concerns.”
Nitschke concluded the discussion by stating, “I’m containing my excitement, but I’m
just bouncing off the wall. I’m thrilled and very excited about the direction the
department is going,” he said.
“Let me leave you with this: I’ve had my eye on the DNR for a very long period of
time and the direction they are heading from a third party standpoint was too
enticing not to throw my hat in the ring and say ‘I want to be a part of this.’”
Footnote: Marcus Smith is the public affairs manager for the Southeast Region.
DNR educators take their act on the road to Rhinelander
By: Andrew Savagian, Bureau of Remediation and Redevelopment
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Natural resource educators from throughout DNR hit the road in October, hosting
their first regional Education Fair on October 25 at the department’s Northern Region
headquarters in Rhinelander.
The ad hoc Education Team sponsored the Education Fair. Created in 2010, the team
enables DNR educators and other staff to collaborate on efforts to educate the public
and department employees about the agency’s many educational programs.
“DNR staff is just as excited to learn about different DNR programs and projects as
our customers outside the agency,” said Office of Communication section chief J.D.
Smith. “This was our opportunity to go to a regional office and give staff the chance
to see how other parts of our agency educate Wisconsin residents about our natural
resources.”

Bernie Williams, conservation biologist and invasives best management practices
specialist in the Division of Forestry, talked with Northern Region employees about
invasive earthworms and their impact on forests. WDNR Photo
The Education Fair was held over the lunch hour, and Northern Region employees
learned about a variety of activities sponsored by DNR education programs, including
Project Wild, recycling, brownfields redevelopment, and “Hook, Line & Thinker,” to
name a few. In the afternoon, educators offered concurrent training sessions on
different programs.
The fair was modeled after the successful Earth Day fairs held in central office in April
2010 and 2011. The team hopes to host another fair at a different regional
headquarters office in spring 2012.
Education Team members include: Christal Campbell, Bureau of Watershed
Management; Lindsay Haas, Southeast Region Air Management; Kirsten Held,
Division of Forestry; Janet Hutchens, Office of Communication; Jon King, South
Central Law Enforcement; Sherry Klosiewski, Northern Region Parks and
Recreation; Carrie Morgan, Office of Communication; Elisabeth Olson, Bureau of
Waste and Materials Management; Colleen Robinson Klug, Division of Forestry;
Mary Kay Salwey, Bureau of Wildlife Management; Jeff Schimpff, Office of Energy;
J.D. Smith; Theresa Stabo, Bureau of Fisheries Management; and Jo Temte, Office
of the Great Lakes.
For more information about the DNR Education Team or how to get involved in future
Education Fairs, email Carrie Morgan.
Footnote: Andrew Savagian is his bureau’s outreach team leader and a member of
the Education Team.

Department PCs enter queue to migrate to Windows 7/Office 2010
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On the evening of October 26, Bureau of Technology Services (BTS) staff
computers began migration to Windows 7/Office 2010. Other Customer and
Employee Services (CAES) Division information technology coordinators
(ITCs) are following suit, putting their staffs’ PCs in the migration queue. In
total, 3,274 computers on the DNR network will move to the new operating
system/office suite standard upon project completion.
BTS ITC, and Windows 7 Team member, Kathie Koch, walked through the
Windows 7 migration procedures during her bureau’s move to validate the accuracy
of the procedures and help assure that all will go smoothly for other programs
The migration team held an all-day Windows 7 summit in Madison for technical staff
on November 7. The team showcased the deployment methodology for ITCs and
regional information management specialists (RIMS), discussing the deployment
protocol and the impacts on each team’s work schedule.
While a large amount of this project will be implemented through automated
processes, a fair share of the work will be manual. RIMS and ITCs will complete the
manual processes. Each team member will communicate with their program staff as
they schedule their migration.
Users will be getting involved as well. When your device is scheduled for migration,
you’ll receive a request to perform either a manual or an automated backup of your
data on your PC/laptop/tablet.
The migration includes a built-in process to back-up and restore data on the hard
drive; however, the migration team wants staff to understand the importance of
backing up their data. This is a good time to introduce/reintroduce that process.
It will be essential on the day of your migration that you NOT log on to your
computer, until you receive word from your ITC or RIMS that the migration
to your computer has been completed. They'll advise you in advance when
your device is scheduled for migration.
You can go to “Windows 7 and Office 2010 Training Materials” and click on the links in
the “Location and Comments” column to begin online training.
A helpdesk is up and running to specifically handle all of your Windows 7/Office 2010
related questions and problems. The phone number for the DNR Windows 7 helpdesk
is [phone].

Northern Region’s Ellen Granquist passed away last week
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Ellen Granquist, 61, stormwater intake specialist and air management
program assistant in the Superior office passed away unexpectedly on
Tuesday, November 8.
"Ellen served the people of Wisconsin for 23 years in customer service, air
management and stormwater," said Nancy Larson, water quality field
supervisor. "She was always a calm and kind member of our Superior office team,
and we will miss her very much.
“Ellen handled all of the intake for stormwater permits in Northern Region, managed
the database, and answered questions from the public. She was a valuable member
of the northern stormwater team and held the 'institutional knowledge' of the
northern program.”
Ellen is survived by her husband Ted and son Neill, both of Superior. Condolences
may be sent to Ted Granquist at 6626 Ogden Ave., Superior, Wis 54880.
The memorial service for Ellen will be Saturday, November 19 at 2 pm at the
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, located at 7815 Tower Ave. in Superior.
Ellen’s colleagues are collecting donations for her husband. Send donations to Nancy
Larson, 2501 Golf Course Rd., Ashland WI 54806.

Biersach named new director of Bureau of Watershed Management
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Division of Water administrator Ken Johnson has named long-time Water
Division employee Pam Biersach director of the Bureau of Watershed Management.
With fifteen years of direct program experience in such areas as waterways and
wetlands, dam safety, and shoreland and floodplain zoning, she brings a vast array of
experience to the new position.
Having the opportunity during the last five years to also earn management and
project experience in other programs such as Runoff Management and Drinking and
Groundwater, Biersach became known as the “watershed expert” in the South Central
Region.

Pam Biersach and her husband Dave attended a family event with sons Brendan, age
4, and Cameron, age 2. The family lives in Belleville and every day the boys ask
“when is Santa coming.”
WDNR Photo
“Pam is a ‘can-do’ kind of person with lots of energy and enthusiasm,” said Johnson. I
think you’ll find she is well suited for the position, and I’m sure you’ll find her an
asset to the division.”
Biersach will direct three sections in the new bureau: Dam Safety, Runoff and
Waterway Protection.
“Every day I learn something new from my colleagues and am in awe of the
incredible talent at DNR,” said Biersach. “That's why it's hard to find the words to
express how honored and humbled I am by this opportunity to lead the Watershed
Bureau, especially during this time of change for our agency, our division and
ourselves.”
Biersach spoke of changes that may leave employees “wondering about the future as
agents of environmental management and as people.”
She pledged to work hard with her bureau and the Water Management team to help
her staff and the department through the changes by providing opportunities for
everyone to speak openly, be heard, and have the chance to contribute to the
success of their individual programs and the division.
“We are a team. My door is open for anyone at anytime, and I look forward to
working with each and every one of you,” she said.

DNR receives annual state Diversity Award
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The State Council on Affirmative Action (SCAA) has awarded DNR the
Council’s 2011 Annual Program Achievement Diversity Award for its
comprehensive recruitment initiative designed to increase the percentages
of females, minorities and veterans in the DNR workforce.
The SCAA established the Diversity Award in 2000 to recognize the
achievements of outstanding affirmative action and equal employment
opportunity practices among state agencies and University of Wisconsin
system campuses.
The Wisconsin State Council on Affirmative Action and the Wisconsin Office
of State Employment Relations/Division of Affirmative Action sponsor the
Diversity Award.

Eileen Hocker, Bureau of Law Enforcement, holds the Annual Program
Achievement Diversity Award presented to DNR on November 10. Others
from DNR who joined her for the photo shoot were (left to right) LeVon
McAllister, Management Information Section chief, Bureau of Technology
Services; chief warden Randy Stark; Julie Sauer, administrator of the
Division of Customer and Employee Services; Bureau of Human Resources
director Carrie Mickelson; and DeLaina Siltman of DNR’s Office of Diversity
Affairs.
WDNR Photo
This isn’t the first time that DNR has received recognition for its efforts on
behalf of diversity. DNR was honored in 2008, in part, for establishing
several programs to facilitate communication with the Hmong communities
of Wisconsin.
In 2010, DNR received the highest honor of diversity recognition for its
continued outreach efforts beyond the original design in the Harmony in the
Woods initiative.
DNR had expanded the program to include people with disabilities; Spanish
and Hmong translations of hunting regulations; establishment of a
Conservation Youth Corps with the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwa
Indians; and a summer internship program with the Lac du Flambeau
youths. Read about this honor in “Harmony in the Woods receives Diversity
Award for second time.”
DNR recognized this year for participation in Annual Summer Intern Program
In 2010, DNR participated for the first time in the annual summer intern program,
which targets women, racial ethnic minorities, and persons with disabilities. Read
about it in the December 16, 2010 “Digest” story “Supervisors: TOPjobs will bring
interns to DNR next summer" and in the August 11, 2011 story “DNR again supports
jobs opportunity program.”
The Bureau of Watershed Management hired one of the 2010 interns into a
permanent position.
DNR also was recognized this year for efforts to increase the department’s visibility in
the state’s minority communities. For example, DNR conservation wardens assisted in
a Sheboygan County effort that led to the establishment of the Hmong American
Sportsmens Club in 2010.
DNR involved in additional activities to foster diversity
A joint effort of South Central Region and Southeast Region Fisheries Management
teams educated approximately 3,500 fourth and fifth graders over a two-day period
about Wisconsin’s aquatic resources. This effort included:
 The Wisconsin Outdoor Youth Expo, which pulled students from all over the
state to participate in hands-on education events linked to fishing, wildlife,
camping, heritage, trails, BB guns, archery and many other outdoor activities.
 A fishing camp that proved to be one of the most popular destinations at the
expo. Trout Unlimited and Muskies Inc. brought several volunteers to help the
students tie flies and cast with fly rods.
 The Casting Area, where the students received instruction on how to accurately
and safely cast a rod and attempt to hit a target, fished for floating plastic fish
replicas in the oversized inflatable pool, and observed the Aquarium.
 Perhaps the most popular station at the expo was the Fish Filleting and
Cooking area. DNR fisheries technicians used their skills with a fillet knife to
demonstrate the inner workings of a fish and how to take a fish from field to feast.
Southeast warden exposes metropolitan area dwellers to the outdoors
The Archery for Inner-City Milwaukee Kids Event, which Southeast Region
conservation warden Gervis Myles managed, has as its goal getting the entire
Milwaukee inner-city community interested and involved in natural resources issues,
including enjoying outdoor recreation. Among his outreach efforts:
 Worked with Milwaukee-area schools to introduce archery to more than 700
students.
 Converted available DNR conference rooms in Milwaukee into archery ranges
for an afternoon, when 60 middle school students wanted to give archery a try but
didn’t have an adequate space.
 Was key in helping 32 individuals earn their archery instructor credentials in
recent years, so they can expose even more children to the sport. On March 5,
the Wisconsin Bowhunters Association named Myles their Warden of the Year for
2011.
 Organized a Learn to Hunt Pheasant outing for several Milwaukee teenage
youth at the DNR’s McKenzie Center in Poynette, at which time he talked with
Milwaukee youth about natural resources careers.

Keeping up on new invasive species information
By: Chrystal Schreck, Bureau of Science Services
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Spreading the word can more effectively slow the spread of invasive species
Whether you issue permits, conduct field surveys, or work with volunteers, you may
need to be aware of invasive species issues. Invasive species management crosses
division and bureau lines within DNR and includes many partners around the state.

Giant hogweed, a prohibited invasive plant in Wisconsin has been found in Waupaca,
Manitowoc and Iron counties. There's still a good chance to eradicate it, though. If
you see giant hogweed, send email ‘[email protected]’. Photo by Terry English,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
To help keep everyone better informed, the department's Invasive Species Team has
designed a new intranet resource to serve as a portal to connect all DNR staff to the
most relevant resources for consistent management and messaging.
Visit this new “Invasive Species Management” Intranet resource. You also can get to
this webpage by starting at the “Science Services” Intranet page and clicking on
“Invasive Species-NR 40” under the “Our DNR Customers and Partners” section.